List of LGBT members of the United States Congress

This is a list of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans in the U.S. Congress. There are currently 7 openly LGBT members of the 114th congress, all being Democrats.^[1][2] This list only includes people who came out.

Senate

Photo	Senator	State	Party	Term	Notes
	Harris Wofford	Pennsylvania	Democratic	1991–1995	Came out in 2016 after announcing plans to marry a man[3]
	Tammy Baldwin	Wisconsin	Democratic	2013–present	First openly gay or lesbian person to be elected to the Senate[4]

House of Representatives

Photo	Representative	State	Party	Term	Notes
	Stewart McKinney	Connecticut	Republican	1971-1987	Died (Complications due to AIDS)[5][6][7][8][9]
	Robert Bauman	Maryland	Republican	1973–1981	Came out after his time in Congress[10]
	Gerry Studds	Massachusetts	Democratic	1973–1997	Came out in 1983 after congressional page scandal; first member of Congress to come out as gay; First openly gay committee chairman (Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 1990–1995)[11]
	Jon Hinson	Mississippi	Republican	1979–1981	Came out after his time in Congress[12]
	Barney Frank	Massachusetts	Democratic	1981–2013	Came out in 1987; first member of Congress to be in a same-sex marriage while in office[13][14]
	Steve Gunderson	Wisconsin	Republican	1981-1997	Outed on the floor of the House in 1994, and became the first openly gay Republican representative.[15][16]
	Jim Kolbe	Arizona	Republican	1985-2007	Came out in 1996 after voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, and was the first openly gay person to address the Republican National Convention[17][18] He was the second openly gay Republican to serve in Congress.[19]
	Michael Huffington	California	Republican	1993-1995	Came out as bisexual in 1998, the first bisexual to have been elected to Congress.[20]
	Mark Foley	Florida	Republican	1995-2006	Came out after congressional page incidents.[21]
	Tammy Baldwin	Wisconsin	Democratic	1999-2013	First out lesbian to be elected to Congress[4]
	Mike Michaud	Maine	Democratic	2003-2015	Came out in 2013.[22][23]
	Jared Polis	Colorado	Democratic	2009–present	First gay parent in Congress[24]
	David Cicilline	Rhode Island	Democratic	2011–present
	Sean Patrick Maloney	New York	Democratic	2013–present
	Mark Takano	California	Democratic	2013–present	First out non-white LGBT person to be elected to Congress[25][26]
	Mark Pocan	Wisconsin	Democratic	2013–present
	Kyrsten Sinema	Arizona	Democratic	2013–present	First out bisexual to be elected to Congress[27][28]

See also

• List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United States

References

1. Camia, Catalina (10 November 2014). "No gay Republicans elected to new Congress". USA Today Politics. Retrieved 7 May 2016. There will be seven gay or bisexual members in the 114th Congress, all Democrats: Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and House members Jared Polis of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mark Takano of California, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
2. Daileda, Colin (6 January 2015). "What's white and male and in the House?". Mashable. Retrieved 7 May 2016. Despite the mild gains in other areas of diversity, the 114th Congress will have just as many LGBT members as the year before—seven.
3. Wofford, Harris (23 April 2016). "Finding love again, this time with a man". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2016. Too often, our society seeks to label people by pinning them on the wall - straight, gay or in between. I don't categorize myself based on the gender of those I love. I had a half-century of marriage with a wonderful woman, and now am lucky for a second time to have found happiness.
4. "Tammy Baldwin: Openly gay lawmaker could make history in Wisconsin U.S. Senate race - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
5. "AIDS Makes Another Chilling Advance, Claiming the Life of a Congressman". People magazine. New York, NY: TIME, Inc. May 25, 1987. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
6. Houston, Paul (May 8, 1987). "Connecticut's McKinney, GOP Liberal, Dies of AIDS". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
7. Kimmey, Samantha (December 20, 2012). "Rep. Barney Frank Comments on Scalia, Prostitution, Marijuana and More". The Raw Story. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
8. Associated Press (August 23, 1989). "Congressman Killed by AIDS Led Secret Life, Gay Man Claims". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, ME. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
9. May, Clifford D. (May 9, 1987). "Friends Say McKinney Had Homosexual Sex". New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
10. Bauman, Robert (August 1986). The Gentleman from Maryland: The Conscience of a Gay Conservative. Arbor House Pub Co. ISBN 978-0877956860.
11. "Housecleaning". Time. July 25, 1983.
12. "Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman And Then Gay-Rights Advocate". The New York Times. 26 July 1995. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
13. O'Keefe, Ed (December 3, 2012). "When Barney Frank announced he was 'coming out of the room' (er… the closet)". The Washington Post.
14. "DC's Most Influential Gay Couple Calls It Quits". The Tuscaloosa News (Associated Press). July 3, 1998. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
15. Bergling, Tim (May 11, 2004). "Closeted in the capital: they're powerful, Republican, and gay. Will the marriage battle finally get them to come out to their bosses?". The Advocate. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
16. Bierbauer, Charles (28 November 1997). "Gunderson Leaves 'Increasingly Polarized' House". CNN AllPolitics. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
17. Dunlap, David W. (August 3, 1996). "A Republican Congressman Discloses He Is a Homosexual". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
18. Campbell, Julia (August 1, 2000). "Openly Gay Congressman Addresses Convention". ABC News.
19. Eaklor, Vicki Lynn (2008). Queer America: a GLBT history of the 20th century. ABC-CLIO. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-313-33749-9.
20. King, Ryan James. "Michael Huffington: The long-awaited Advocate interview". Advocate. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
21. "Foley lawyer makes statement". CNN. October 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-04.
22. "Michaud: 'I haven't changed. I'm Mike.'". The Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
23. "Yes, I'm gay, Michaud says. Now let's get our state back on track". Portland Press Herald. November 4, 2013.
24. Parkinson, John. "House Democrat Jared Polis Becomes First Openly Gay Parent in Congress". ABC News. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
25. David Crary, AP National Writer. "Record number of gays seeking seats in Congress". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
26. Candido, Sergio N. (October 29, 2012). "Top 5 Gay National Races". SFGN. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
27. O'Dowd, Peter (January 1, 2013). "Sinema, First Openly Bisexual Member Of Congress, Represents 'Changing Arizona'". NPR. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
28. Roig-Franzia, Manuel (January 2, 2013). "Kyrsten Sinema: A success story like nobody else's". The Washington Post. Phoenix, Arizona. Retrieved January 8, 2013.